


Unloved + Unwanted + Untrusted = A Reason to Die

by Crystal_Prisom



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Hanahaki Disease, Heavy Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-06 05:26:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13404405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crystal_Prisom/pseuds/Crystal_Prisom
Summary: Hanzo Shimada has officially joined the ranks of Overwatch, but no one really appreciates this. No one trusts him to have their back, making missions harder to carry out. No one cares about him (minus his forgiving brother, but even he is tiring of him). Then, there's the cowboy problem.Aka, Jesse McCree.





	1. Prologue

When Hanzo coughed up the blood-red rose petals for the first time, he wasn't surprised. 

He had known that something like this would eventually show. That his unrequited feelings towards the cowboy on the team would cause this. The one person who wanted to kill him the most amongst these other people. No, what he was surprised about was the pain. It rose up every time he saw him. The pain of being near him, and yet never being able to approach him. And when he did, he always this felt pain in the same place; his gut. Because the Overwatch agents had acted hostile towards him, he had to act cold and unfeeling so that he wouldn't break. Only Genji understood, and he had not yet confronted Hanzo about this. It had been about eight months since the first day. 

* * *

  _First Day_

When Hanzo first stepped foot on the Watchpoint, he was instantly greeted by glares and uncomfortable presences around him. Genji had tried to eradicate their rude behavior, but Hanzo knew that this was everything that he deserved. Genji had eventually stopped trying, after McCree answered the recall. Now, he was off joking with his friends, and rarely spoke to Hanzo, further escalating the tension between Hanzo and his teammates. 

When Jesse had been introduced to Hanzo for the first time with Genji talking beside him, the cowboy had maintained a deadpan stare. Then, he drew his metal arm back, and drove it into Hanzo's stomach. He knelt on the ground, gasping for air, with Genji protesting beside his brother. Jesse had waved him off. 

"You deserve more that that, asshole," he snarled, absolutely livid. Hanzo blearily looked up in a haze of pain. "I know. I know."

He had fallen for him hard when he first saw him.

* * *

_Six-and-a-Half Months Later_  

There had been a party on August 20th. Hanzo would never forget it. 

McCree had introduced his girlfriend that he had been dating for about three years while Overwatch had been disbanded. Her name was Joanna Cross, and she was a nice and respectable woman. However, her presence in the Watchpoint constantly reminded Hanzo about everything that he would never be. Never to be called his. He had stayed at the party to be respectful, but eventually left after about an hour to his private quarters. This was probably for the better, as after he had left, McCree fell to a knee and pulled out a small velvet box.

* * *

_Jesse's Wedding Day_

Hanzo was standing on the balcony connected to his room, conveniently overlooking the happy operatives below. It's not like he could be there with them, anyways. Why? He wasn't invited. So, he just stood there. When the priest had stated the words that enabled anyone to object, Hanzo wanted desperately to fling himself down there and cry out. But he didn't. And when the couple kissed each other on the lips, his heart broke. 

He stepped back into the room, when he felt a burning sensation in his chest. He doubled over in instinct, coughing harshly. It tore his throat, and he gasped for air. When he recovered, there was blood dripping from his mouth.

And on the ground, a single rose petal. 

Ever since that day, when he coughed, the pain was greatest in his stomach, the same place where McCree had struck him on that first day. 

The wedding was two months ago. And still, no one knew Hanzo had contracted the fatal Hanahaki Disease. 


	2. Acquaintances to Friends (Worst Brother)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo's secret is revealed to a pesky little girl.
> 
> They talk.
> 
> BONUS: THE WORST BROTHER IS FINALLY REVEALED! STAY TUNED.

Hana Song tore down the halls of the Watchpoint, not caring about a Soldier 76 lurking nearby. She stopped in front of Hanzo's room to retrieve the Nintendo Switch he had. She knew he was training right now, and wouldn't come back for at least an hour. She was glad, because he had been distant for the past few weeks, and she did not want to deal with that. She was surprised by Hanzo's affiliation with video games, which she found out after peeking into his room as he was playing on the Switch. In order to keep her quiet, he allowed her to use the device for her livestreams.

She quickly unlocked his door with a hairpin she had borrowed from Mei (she learned how to do this on a YouTube video), and stood in the hall in shock.

The usually tidy room with the decorative traditional ornaments was now destroyed, and looked like a tornado had decided to take a little trip in the room. The curtains were also drawn shut, darkening the room. Hana cautiously stepped into the room, avoiding the scattered decorations that had once stood on the shelves, and examined the covered walls. They were decorated in papers that had been tacked up, mostly centering around the deadly Hanahaki Disease. After reading an article that described the symptoms, she went into the bathroom where she knew Hanzo kept the Switch in one of the drawers. However, as she entered the slightly darker bathroom, she gagged on reflex. 

The air had a heavy metallic smell. Hana tracked the source of the odor and opened up the drawer. When she peered inside, she screamed behind her hand and jumped back. In the drawer were blood-stained rose petals that Hanzo had hastily stuffed in there before a mission and never had the time to properly dispose of them. Now, Hana Song was not a stupid person. She was able to easily link the petals to the disease she had just read up on. Realizing that she had to tell someone, she turned to run out of the room...

Only to run into Hanzo Fucking Shimada.

He blinked in surprise. "What are you doing?" He looked into the open bathroom, and saw the still open drawer. Instantly he panicked and looked down at the girl, about to try to convince her to not five away his secret. Hana looked back up at him with tearful eyes. "Why have you not told anyone?"

Hanzo sighed and let go of her, sitting on his unkept bed, trying to make himself comfortable. "You know that everyone in the Watchpoint doesn't care about what happens to me. Most want me dead. And besides, Doctor Ziegler hates me in particular for what I did to Genji." He paused, looking at the messy floor. "I deserve this anyways," he muttered quietly.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT YOU'LL FUCKING DIE?!" Hana shouted. Hanzo looked up. He looked tired, with black circles decorating his face under his eyes. "I killed my brother. I'm literally a monster. This is my punishment. And even though Genji said that he forgives me, he still hasn't. I don't blame him." Hanzo leaned back. "He avoids me, and doesn't want to talk to me. Whenever I feel courageous to start a conversation with him, he always cuts me short and leaves to joke with his friends. It's painfully obvious that he still harbors hatred towards me. And I can't blame him."

Hana was crying now. "Why haven't you fixed it?"

Hanzo shook his head. "If I did, I would forgo all feelings I once had for the other person. But, the thing is, I would rather die than live the rest of my life not caring about them."

The two stayed there in silence. 

"You can be my friend," Hana spoke. "I never noticed how lonely you were, and I'm sorry. Can I be your friend?"

Hanzo looked up in surprise. "I'd like that a lot." He smiled for what felt like the first time in many years. But then, he adapted a more serious look. "But you can't tell anyone. I want to be the one to tell them." He knew that was never going to happen, but at least this way, this would never get told.

Hana nodded determinedly. "It's a deal."

* * *

If you were a fan of Hana Song, you'd probably be puzzled as to why there was now a Japanese man playing right beside her during her livestreams. 

Being a friend of Hana Song required that you maintain a healthy diet of Doritos and Mountain Dew, and play video games for hours. Of course, they had missions to do, but Hanzo soon found after relaxing and laughing with Hana (it had been a long time since he had laughed), he was less stressed, and the coughing fits lessened. When he had admitted this to Hana, she squealed. She was extremely happy to help, and also was ecstatic to know that she was saving Hanzo, although she had not yet CURED him. Only the person causing him this pain could heal him.

However, Hanzo was later reminded of the Hanahaki still lurking in his body.

* * *

Some of the operatives had a small party, and were at a nearby bar. Unknown to them, Hanzo was also there at a table, drinking and listening to their conversations. Lena, Angela, Genji, and McCree were there.

"I don't get it, Genji. How can you forgive your brother?" Lena asked. "He literally murdered you!" 

Genji shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." Jesse cocked his head. "You wanna elaborate, pardner?"

"It's just that Hanzo was always obsessed with 'upholding the honor of the clan', and stuff like that. He just always acted like he had a thick and large stick up his ass. And even though I told him that the Elders forced him to kill me, I kind of lied. You should have seen his face when he killed me. It wad just pissed off and angry, and he scared me. Zenyatta has reminded me to forgive him, but why should I? It's his fault. I mean, he kind of deserves this."

If Jesse's unrequited feelings hurt Hanzo, Genji's words had just killed him. 

He stood up, dropped the money on the table, and fled the bar just as Angela voiced her opinion. He ran to his room, and locked the door. Running a hand through his hair, Hanzo tried to calm his breathing. Then, he fell to the ground in pain, coughing once more.

Only this time, he hurt not only in his stomach, but also where Genji had cut him on his left arm during their fight. The cut had left a scar, and once Hanzo recovered, he broke down and cried.

He froze when a pair of arms circled around him.

He jumped back, pushing Lucio away. "How did you get here?" He frantically wiped his eyes. Lucio pointed to the bed. "Hana let me in."

On the bed, Hana held a device. Upon further inspection, Hanzo recognized it as a recording device. "I'm sorry, but I also told Lucio. I needed his recording machines to capture evidence. I attached the wire in your jacket. We were going to use this against them. You can trust Lucio to keep your secret. He's more trusting than I am." Hana was crying as well. "I don't understand that they can't see how much they're hurting you. They're cruel."

Hanzo struggled to keep himself breaking down again. "It's nothing that I don't deserve," he said. Lucio shook his head. "That doesn't mean they have the right to do this to you, man. Matter of fact, it goes completely against what I'm trying to support."

Hana spoke for him. "Lucio's doing a pep rally for anti-bullying, but this is more than that." She paused. "Is it alright if you do a livestream with us tomorrow at eight? We could really use you as support for the cause." 

Hanzo sighed. "Sure. Let me make sure I'm not doing anything at that time."


	3. The Truth Revealed! (Talk Show Hosted by Hana Song and Lucio Correia dos Santos)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the livestream, Hanzo must put up with more hatred directed at him from his team. 
> 
> Also, Hanzo is forced by children to talk about his past.

_Hanzo was standing on the balcony, watching the wedding take place again. He started to cry. Then, McCree spoke right next to him. "What are you crying about, monster?" He laughed darkly as he gave Hanzo a quick shove, forcing him to fall over the railing._

_The landscape shifted, however, and he fell on wood planks. He looked up to see the prone figure of his brother laying on the ground, bleeding profusely. Hanzo panicked. Where was the phone he had used to call for help before? But then, the scene shifted again._

_Now, the Elders faces loomed over Hanzo. He trembled. "Your brother has disobeyed the clan rules." Hanzo screamed in terror._

When he woke up, Hanzo did not go back to sleep again.

* * *

 

When the breakfast bell rang, Hanzo adorned his traditional garb and headed down into the dining hall. He quickly grabbed an apple and orange as well as a protein bar before turning to leave. However, as he walked by the others, Soldier 76 scoffed. "Kinslayer," he muttered.

Hanzo froze up. The entire hall went silent. Mei shook her head in disapproval. Many of the others however, didn't argue against this. Hana was about to go up and beat up the old man, when someone else surprisingly stood up.

"Now, Jack, we can't exactly compare this to you pretending to be dead, now can we?" 

Ana had her arms crossed, disappointed motherly look on her face. "Run along now, archer. I'll handle these children."

* * *

 

"And she literally scolded them! SCOLDED MORRISON!" Hana was chattering about Ana's way of reprehending the other operatives. Afterwards, she paused for breath. "We also want to run a test run before the stream. You ready?" Hanzo nodded. "Let's go."

Meanwhile, Lucio was skating around, putting up posters he made about the livestream.

**Hana Song and Lucio Correia dos Santos Anti-Bullying Livestream**

Topics and Important Things

  * Effects of Hurtful Words and Actions
  * How the Past Affects the Present
  * Secret and Very Special Guest
  * The Deadly Hanahaki Disease



***DON'T MISS THIS OR ANA WILL KILL YOU***

***WE'RE SERIOUS***  

Afterwards, he made sure that everyone was in the theater room, uploading the video. She talked into the comm. "They're all here, Gaming Bunny. Permission to retreat?"

"Permission granted, Ribbit." Hana shut off the comm. Hanzo smiled. "You really like him, don't you?" Hana blushed. "Shut up! We're not an item, or anything like that!" Hanzo snorted. "Well, neither one of you is coughing up flower petals, so I would assume that he likes you as well." Hana stared at him with wide eyes. "Was it too soon to make that joke?" He asked. She nodded in response.

* * *

 

The trio stepped into Hana's room,where there was a chair with restraints in the middle. "Can you sit there? Lucio will put on the restraints." Hanzo sat down hesitantly. The last time he was in restraints...

Lucio snapped them on quickly. "Relax, Hanzo. No one's going to hurt you." Hanzo nodded back. Hana turned on the cameras. "Hello! I'm D.Va, aka your beloved Hana Song, here live with Lucio Correia dos Santos and our special guest, Hanzo Shimada!"

Hanzo's heart stopped. "We're live!?"

Hana continued. "Today, we are here to discuss the horrible topics of bullying, and Hanzo here is our witness. You've probably seen him playing with me the past few videos I've made. You all know that I am a part of Overwatch, and Hanzo here recently joined last year. However, he has been the victim of many bullying incidents from the members, hasn't he, Lucio?"

"That's right, Hana. And now, he will be forced to confess what he has gone through, thanks to his restraints and this lie detector! And yes, folks, this is the one that cops use themselves. Keep in mind, he had no idea that he would be doing this, as evident by the cussing behind us. So without further ado, let us begin our interrogation!"

Hana clipped a mic onto Hanzo's shirt. She patted his back in comfort. "Just relax."

She grabbed a pink clipboard with a sheet of paper on it, while Lucio grabbed his green one. "Let's start, shall we? Is your name Hanzo Shimada?" Hana asked. Hanzo glared. "No."

He jumped at the buzzer noise that sounded from the machine. Hana looked into the camera. "There you have it, everyone!" She turned back. "Is your name Hanzo Shimada?"

When he answered truthfully, the machine produced a bell ringing sound.

Lucio continued. "Is your brother Genji Shimada?" Hanzo thought. "Yes." There was no sound. Lucio turned to face the camera. "As you can see, the machine is silent. That means that Hanzo here doesn't know this answer. You'll find out why later."

"What was the darkest time of your childhood?" Hana asked.

"When I was a child, I was one of the sons of the Shimada clan. It was basically a Yakuza clan. The Elders, the wise people whose word was the law, forced me to become the greatest leader in history. I was robbed of my childhood." He paused. The bell sounded.

"Then, my brother, Genji Shimada, was born. He was free of the Elders' control, and was able to do as he pleased. I envied him in many ways. But every time he went against the clan's wishes, I was punished and took the blame. While he was at an arcade, flirting with girls, I was being trained, and..."

Hanzo stopped. Hana leaned in closer. "And?"

Hanzo whispered. "I was whipped. I was branded. I was broken so that the Elders would get me to hate him. I tried to ease my pain by getting Genji to become more responsible, but he wouldn't listen. And when they ordered me to kill him, I did so in anger. After I had almost killed him, however, I let the realization and shock flood me. I called the Overwatch headquarters, reporting an attempted murder. I watched as my baby brother was carried away by strangers. And when the Elders found out, I was thrown into a cell and was not given any food or water. It was then when I escaped. Then, I plotted my revenge." The bell rang again.

Lucio took over. "We have an audio recording of Genji, who survived and now lives as a cyborg, talking with Lena "Tracer" Oxton, Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, and Jesse McCree talking about Hanzo in the Neon Bar. You see, without telling Hanzo, we stuck a wire into his jacket and recorded this dialogue as he heard everything from afar. Let us listen to this, shall we?"

_"I don't get it, Genji. How can you forgive your brother? He literally murdered you!"  (Lena)_

_"Yeah, I guess." (Genji)_

_"You wanna elaborate, pardner?" (Obviously McCree)_

_"It's just that Hanzo was always obsessed with 'upholding the honor of the clan', and stuff like that. He just always acted like he had a thick and large stick up his ass. And even though I told him that the Elders forced him to kill me, I kind of lied. You should have seen his face when he killed me. It wad just pissed off and angry, and he scared me. Zenyatta has reminded me to forgive him, but why should I? It's his fault. I mean, he kind of deserves this." (Genji)_

"Afterwards, we found Hanzo in his room, crying on the floor." Hana stated.

"And, there you have it. The world's heroes. Bullying their teammate. But that's not all!" Lucio exclaimed.

Hana nodded. "Absolutely correct, Lucio. This morning, our Strike Commander, known as Soldier 76, lashed out at Hanzo, calling him a 'kinslayer'. I was about to defend my friend here, but fortunately, I didn't have to. Ana Amari, Overwatch's finest sharpshooter, came to the rescue, and represented the 'children', as she said. This allowed Hanzo to leave, and he ate his breakfast in peace."

Lucio turned to Hanzo. "And what is it about these reoccurring nightmares you have?"

"Whose idea was this, again?"

"HANA."

"LUCIO."

The two pointed at each other.

Hanzo snorted. "It's evident that I'm not the only one who needs a lie detector. In my nightmares, I often see myself in front of Genji, and he's dying in my arms. But there's never a phone there, so I can't call anyone for help. Then the scene changes, and I see the Elders saying that Genji has broken another rule, so I need to be punished." He sighed shakily. "I have trouble sleeping now," he admitted.

"That's very interesting, Hanzo," Hana said. "And, how is your Hanahaki affecting you, on a scale of one to ten?"

Hanzo jerked his head up. "You swore to not bring that up..."

"And yet, she asked you the question. Answer it," Lucio interrupted.

Hanzo glared. "Fine. I've had Hanahaki ever since about three months ago, and it's for someone who will never love me back. They're on the team, already married, and hate me with all their guts. Whenever I cough up the petals, it hurts my gut, where he punched me when we first met. It also hurts where Genji cut me with his katana after I tried to kill him. It started to hurt after I heard him say those words. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?! YOU BOTH SWORE TO NEVER TELL ANYONE! I NEVER SHOULD HAVE TOLD ANYONE ABOUT THIS!"

He glared at the children. Lucio seemed scared, but Hana continued softly. 

"When I first discovered Hanzo's sickness, I was just breaking into his room while he was training to get his Nintendo Switch. I used his for the livestreams I do for you guys. He told me that he started to play on it after he was free, because it reminded him of his brother, who he had hoped was safe. His normally neat room was messy, the decorations and pictures thrown or on the floor. The curtains were shut. And on the wall were papers on Hanahaki. "

"I had no idea why they were there, until I found the rose petals in one of the drawers of his bathroom. It shocked me and also saddened me, to know that because I hadn't talked to him or tried to be friendly earlier, and because of this, he was now dying. It makes me mad that no one else noticed either. They just want to make you suffer, Hanzo. But people like me, Lucio, and the nice people out there watching this, they have your back. What I'm trying to say, Hanzo, is that you're not alone."

Hana turned to Lucio, who went to the refrigerator and brought out a cake. "Ana made it. Athena told us that it was your birthday today," Lucio said. "Happy Birthday, Hanzo," Hana quietly said.

Hanzo looked at the cake with the icing decorative words that Hana had just uttered. Lucio undid the restraints, and Hanzo held his face in his hands and cried.

Lucio was startled. "Do you not like it? I'm sorry. We can get you a new one..."

"On the contrary," Hanzo said shakily, "this is probably best day of my life. I can't remember the last time I had a birthday party."

He then coughed up blood.

"OH MY GOD!" Hana screamed.

"SOMEBODY, HELP!" Lucio shouted.

Hanzo, however, waved them off. "It's alright, I'm fine now."

Lucio scooped up something in the bloody puddle with a fork and held it to the camera.

Rose petals.

And, in that instant, Hanzo fell to the ground.


	4. The Gifts of Dragons (When Talon Knocks On Your Front Door)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo isn't dead. It SEEMS like he is, but he isn't. He's actually in a dreamscape that makes Heaven look like a cheap apartment. Not that anyone will believe him.
> 
> (Talon also makes their first appearance. Finally!)

When Hanzo fell, he never felt the fuzzy, carpet floor of Hana's room. Instead, he fell on his back in a meadow, his hands feeling the soft, padded ground under him. He smelled the sweet aroma that the flowers hidden in the tall grass gave off as he slowly got on his feet. He could feel the wind forcing his hair back, hear the waterfall that cascaded into a clear blue pool, and see the cherry blossoms on the tree that rested on the bank of the river that led to the waterfall. This was what it truly meant to be free. 

As he took in his surroundings, Hanzo absorbed every last detail of this wonderful landscape. He walked towards the sakura tree, hand trailing behind him, dancing on the top of the grass. He felt at peace. Something about this place gave off a sense of tranquility that even Zenyatta himself could never replicate. 

"Youngling."

Hanzo whipped around once he realized that he was not alone and with his guard down. But he relaxed once again once he saw the familiar shapes of his guardian spirits. Soba and Udon approached their master and stopped right in front of him, bowing their necks to see eye-to-eye with him. Soba spoke first. "Young master. How great the challenges were when you faced them. How loyal the friends are that you have made. How broken you are. But you can not stop to rest now. Your friends and allies are in trouble. Talon, the terrorist group that Overwatch has spent the past years fighting, has placed a "mole" into the Overwatch ranks, as you humans say."

Udon snorted. "Humans are of no comparison to a mole. Moles are much more regal creatures." Hanzo had no idea if he was joking or not.

"Silence, Udon. The infiltrator will help Talon capture your friends. But they will not take you. They think you are already dead. We helped to stop your heartbeat to convince the humans of this. When you wake, you will be faced with two options. If you take Udon's hand, he will aid you in escaping the Watchpoint. The others will die, and you will live the rest of your life in hiding, but will live a peaceful life until you die. But if you listen to me, I can give you gifts that your ancestors never were capable of. You are already stronger than them. I will teach you, and help you free your friends. What will it be?"

Hanzo thought. It would be so easy to leave this mess behind. He could find a doctor, and get healed. But he would forget about McCree. On the other hand, he would forget McCree, and he would die, as well as Hana, Lucio, Ana...

"I wouldn't be able to live in peace if I left my friends to die. I would never forgive myself," Hanzo slowly said. "I have to help them."

Soba and Udon nodded. They started to walk towards the tree, Hanzo between them. "As a year here passes, a second goes by in the real world. We will have time to prepare," Udon curtly stated. "Where exactly is  _here_?" Hanzo asked. 

"This place is sacred. Humans rarely are able to cross the threshold of their world to this one. It's name must never be uttered, or it will be open to all living creatures. If humans came here, they would destroy the land. This is why it is important to never say the name," Soba said. Hanzo nodded in response. They stopped at the base of the tree. 

"Your great-great-great grandfather was called the Dragon, and for an important reason. He was able to call on his spirit guardian and take its form. However, it was not a real dragon in its entirety, as he was still human in some parts. He had still kept his human body, but had scales and horns. But this was because his guardian did not have the strength to fully support the transformation. But now, with two spirits, you may be capable of completing this task," Udon rumbled. Hanzo gaped. 

"Those are stories that Mother told us as children. You can not be serious," Hanzo said. "On the contrary, why don't we show you?" Soba said. Suddenly, both dragons disappeared into the tattoo on Hanzo's arm, and spoke in his head. "You just need to say the words, master," Udon spoke. "What words? You haven't told me anything!" Hanzo argued. He was getting frustrated. "Remember the story that your mother told you. The words your mother used to say at the end of the story every time, do you remember them? Say them," Soba said. Hanzo was hit by a sense of nostalgia as he saw in his mind's eye his mother telling him the story with Genji next to him. At the time, he was not forced to undergo the Elder's rigorous training, and often played with his younger brother. He saw his mother's lips say the words.

"Doragon oyobi watashi wa tsk ni naru," he whispered. 

Instantly, Hanzo felt a searing hot pain that coursed through his body. His back ached, and his bones seemed to crumble. He fell to the ground gasping for air as the pain lessened, thinking the ordeal was over. 

Not by a long shot.

In horror, Hanzo could only watch as his body was covered in royal blue scales. His head ached as horns emerged from the top of his head, more scales replacing the hair on his head. His face elongated, and he could see the snout that formed. However, this pain was nothing compared to what his body felt. He felt like he was being stretched, and his arms and legs grew twice their size. He panted in relief once the transformation was complete, and jumped down to the pool of water below, as instructed by Udon. He examined his new look in the reflection of the pool of water. He looked as regal as the dragons in the paintings that were traditionally found in Hanamura, only he was the real thing. He looked up at the far away ledge, wondering how to get back up. But, with Soba's command, Hanzo felt exhilaration course through his veins.

**_Fly!_ **

* * *

"Wake up, you stupid old grumpy man! I'll kill you if you don't," Hana cried into the unconscious man's shoulder. Ana, standing behind the grieving child, shook her head in sadness. She had already seen this from many families she had tried to help in the past. "Come with me, child. We can go to the kitchen and I'll make you some of my tea while you tell me more about him... LUCIO! Stop shouting, please."

"This would have NEVER happened, if YOU just took a moment to think about what he was GOING THROUGH!" Lucio shouted. It was a very rare sight. The young teen was pointing his finger at 76, McCree, and Genji. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! YOU NEVER CARED!" Hana gasped loudly, causing Lucio and the other Overwatch operatives to stop and look.

She pointed at the heart rate monitor, which was now supporting a very solid flat line.

"GET HIM IN THE MEDBAY!" Lucio shouted.

"WE ARE IN THE MEDBAY!" Reinhardt bellowed.

"WELL GET ANGELA, THEN!" Mei screamed.

"SHE'S ALREADY HERE!" Zarya yelled.

Angela rushed to the patient's side, checking his vitals and looking for anomalies. She shook her head. "I can't do anything. Using a defibrillator would only rupture his lungs, and I can't seem to find any other reason why he would be dying, unless..." She drifted off in thought. "Unless he is dying of Hanahaki right now. If that's the case, I can't do anything at all. It's already too late." There was a long, sullen silence. But then, several things occurred.

First, the lights went out, startling the Overwatch agents. But before their sight could adjust to the darkness, the floor seemed to give an electric current, shocking everyone and rendering them unconscious. The last thing Hana Song saw were the expensive rubber boots of Joanna Cross and her commanding voice ringing out in the darkness. Then, she closed her eyes for the last time.

* * *

 

When Hana came to, she was in a chair, strapped to it in chains and facing her still unconscious teammates, who were chained to the wall. She looked around and saw that they were in a circular room that had no color whatsoever. Hana struggled to free herself, but to no avail. As the agents started to wake up, the single door behind Hana opened, and the Reaper stepped in with a soldier next to him wearing a helmet. Hana shivered in fear at the wraith's presence near her. He stopped being Hana's chair, placing both hands on her shoulders. She whimpered. "If you hurt her, I swear to God..." Jack warned. His visor had been taken away, but Hana's fear was enough to let him know what was happening.

Reaper raised one of his gloved fingers revealing the sharp edge that decorated the top. He then rested it on the top of Hana's brow, and traced a red line down her face. She screamed in pain as Lucio cursed the torturer. "Damn it! Stop this!" Jack pleaded. Reaper motioned to the soldier next to him, and he took off the helmet, revealing Joanna's face behind visor. "Joanna had volunteered to infiltrate Overwatch and leak their data to Talon. However, it was her idea to get in by being close to one of the members. You still can't keep your dick in you pants, can you, _mijo_?" Jesse growled and thrashed in his chains. "You goddamn bitch!" Joanna smirked in response. "Are you worried? You don't have to be. You're death won't hurt. _Much_."

Reaper sighed. "It's a shame, you know. Shimada would have been a valuable asset to Talon. But you all had to get him killed. Now he's useless." Suddenly, his comm sounded. 

"Reaps? It's Sombra. FYI, we're under attack!" He leaned in closer. "What do you mean? Who is it?"

"It's a goddamn dragon. A fucking dragon that's invincible! No one has managed to wound it. Not even Amelie! It's just taking us..." Her voice was cut short and replaced by static. "Sombra? What the hell is going on? Akande?"

In that moment, the ceiling shattered, and a huge blue dragon covered the hole it had just made. It snarled at the two Talon agents in the area. In it's claws were an unconscious Widowmaker, Doomfist, and Sombra. Moira struggled in its grip. Then, it spoke. It talked in the people's minds, scaring many of them. " **Don't touch her.** " Reaper simply laughed. "Holy shit. I'll be damned, Shimada. What the hell happened to you?" Hana gawked at the monstrous beast. It had spoken in Hanzo's voice. " **Don't touch her.** " He repeated. Reaper feigned ignorance. "What? Like this?" He poked Hana's side, causing her to cry out in pain. The truth was, he didn't mean to hurt her, but he did not know that she was still recovering from a bruise that had formed after she fell to the floor when she was taken. Hanzo's eyes narrowed. 

He knocked Moira's head so that she finally stopped struggling, and dropped the people in his claws. Then, with a talon, he sent Reaper into a wall by flicking him. He slumped to the ground, unconscious. Hanzo was about to do the same to Joanna, but she spoke, "Wait! I can free them! Only Talon personnel have access to unlock the chains using DNA recognition!" Hanzo paused, hesitating. He then nodded his consent, despite the others' protests, and she turned to leave for the control panel, 

only to whip around and wedge a dagger into the dragon's paw. 

Hanzo roared in pain, and he could feel the spirits' energy waning. He groaned as he shrunk to the floor, losing his form. He was still clothed, but he had no energy to supplement him. Joanna sneered above him. "Foolish. You should have killed me when you had the chance." She turned his head, forcing him to look at the others. "And now, you'll die knowing that you couldn't save them. But don't worry, you'll see them soon." He struggled to speak. "You clipped my fingernail. This one, see?" He held up his middle finger. She aimed her pistol at his head. "Cute. But it doesn't matter." But she never had the chance to pull the trigger.

The loud clattering sounds of something hitting the floor sounded behind her, and she turned around to identify the source of the noise. Hana had freed herself, chains falling to the ground, using the hairpin that Hanzo had passed to her when he fell to the ground as a human. She lifted the folding chair she was sitting on earlier. "NERF THIS, YOU STUPID BITCH!" With a huge swing, Hana connected it to Joanna's head, and she fell to the ground. 

Once Jack was freed, he contacted Athena to dispatch transport carriers to their location. As the others were freed using Hana's lock-pic, Lucio rushed to Hanzo's side, praising his new ability, and calling it "awesome" and "extremely cool". He tried to keep his eyes open, but now that everyone was safe, there was no need to panic. He had sent the remaining Talon troops scattering from their base. Hanzo closed his eyes in exhaustion. It had been a very long and weird day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for supporting me in this fanfic so far! I appreciate the criticism, so don't be afraid to voice your opinions in the comments section. I plan on updating at least two more chapters over the weekend!
> 
> \- Crystal_Prisom


	5. The Aftermath (Confrontations)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo talks to his team. He's unsure of how they will feel towards him.
> 
> Things work out, in the end.

Hanzo jolted awake, sitting up and shoving the bedsheets off. He panted in fear, looking around frantically for any signs of danger. But he was safe. He checked himself to make sure that he was human, and was relieved. Instead, the one thing he had to be worried about was the alert Doctor Ziegler sitting at her desk in the connecting room. When she got up about to leave, she saw Hanzo sitting up and smiled.

She fucking beamed at him. What was wrong with her?

"Why, hello Hanzo! Finally woken up, I see," she chirped happily. Hanzo raised an eyebrow. "Who are you and what have you done to the real Doctor Ziegler?" Her smile faltered, but quickly came back. "Well, you did just save my life, so I should be nice, shouldn't I? And besides, you're my patient. I wouldn't be a good doctor if I glared at you while I was helping you, right?" This made sense to Hanzo. However, he was sure that she would only act like this for the time being.

"Is it alright if we talk about your conditions, Hanzo?" She asked. She pulled out a clipboard and pen. "Sure," Hanzo replied, unsure of what conditions she was talking about. 

"How are you able to transform?" He started to talk, "As you know, Genji and I are decendants of the Shimada Empire, whose symbol is the dragon. It is the dragon due to magic in our family's blood that enabled our ancestors to shapeshift into a dragon of flesh by calling upon their spirits guardians. However, one spirit could not fully support enough energy for the transformation to truly work. As I have two, Soba and Udon were able to show me how to harness this power. They showed me how to do this when I fell unconscious the first time." 

Mercy nodded, recording it in her clipboard. "I need to keep this for future reference when treating your wounds. That also reminds me, I thought dragonskin was impenetrable. How was Jo able to hurt you, and then get you out your form?"

"This was my first time using this much energy. I was being drained every second I remained in that form. Over time, I believe that I will be able to control this better. When she stabbed me, her knife was conveniently made of silver, which is a very good conductor of magic. It was able to penetrate my defenses, and I was left with nothing to defend myself with. This with the added energy loss caused me to lose my form," he explained. Angela nodded in response.

"And there's one more thing. I found traces of the common symptoms of Hanahaki when I tried to help you..." 

Hanzo panicked again. "You can't tell anyone. Please. I'm not ready yet." Angela nodded. "This stays between you and me, alright? You can trust me. Could you fill in the details, please?"

* * *

 

Later that day, Hanzo stood next to Ana as he watched Jack Morrison interrogate the captured Joanna Cross. In the other cells, Reaper and the other Talon operatives were locked in. They watched in their respective rooms as well. "What is your real name?" he asked.

"Joanna Cross." He glared at the handcuffed woman sitting opposite him. "There's no mention of a Joanna Cross in records of any kind. What. Is. Your. Name?" She huffed and rolled her eyes. "It's Halley Jones."

"When did Talon give you your assignment?"

"They gave it about two months ago," Halley replied. "Before that, I did want to get close to Overwatch, but only to get my revenge. When I was a little girl, Overwatch came to a little distant town, looking for a gang that was reported to be killing Omnics. There was a shootout, and in the end, my father and mother died. You also robbed many other families of their loved ones as well. Afterwards, I kept close tabs on the members, and after it was taken down, I tracked down one of your members and became close to him. I wanted to kill him, but I needed to get to everyone else. Once I was with all of you, I was ready to kill you. I had the base ready to blow up, kind of like the explosion that forced Overwatch to disband in the first place. But then, Talon got hold of what I was doing. They contacted me and offered me money and a place in their ranks if I could not only take you all out, but to also capture you alive."

Hanzo shook his head. He knew the results of getting revenge. He had tracked down the Elders after he escaped and recovered from their torture. He slaughtered them, but there was nothing sweet about it. It only reminded him of the killer that he had been turned into, and the resulting nightmares after those days haunted him to this day. In a way, he pitied the girl, but she had almost killed McCree THREE times. One for when she first found him, a second when she joined the recall, and a third back in Talon's base. 

Jack growled. "You have confessed your crimes. You now have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right..." Hanzo's gaze drifted to the Reaper in his cell. His hands were clasped, in what seemed like a silent prayer. When he looked up, the two made eye contact. They held their gazes until the wraith finally turned away. Hanzo frowned. He would find out what was going on.

 

* * *

 

"Are you afraid for Halley?"

Reaper's head snapped back up at the new interrogator. Hanzo sat in a chair outside the glass window of Reaper's cell. He snorted. "To be honest, I hate that woman. Nothing but hate and anger in her heart." Hanzo tilted his head. 

"But you are just like her, too. So why do you hate her? Is it because you see much of yourself in her?"

Both men looked at each other again, one sitting comfortably with his arms crossed, the other sitting in an awkward position and his hands clasped tightly together. Reaper chuckled. "You really love asking questions that make others uncomfortable, huh?" He leaned back. "Well, if we're playing this game, might as well cut it too the chase. The truth? Yeah. I hate seeing others following the same path I am walking down. I took her in because I wanted to try to help her. But she shut me off. She was intent on getting her revenge. It's already too late for me. I've already killed so many people to get answers. But I thought that I could help her, you know?"

He turned around to the other captives. "Everyone else here, they're my family. I care about them, and they help me feel human. We help each other in times of crisis. That's why they're so important to me, you know? And that's why I'm anxious right now. Because I don't know how to help them." Hanzo nodded. "When I first arrived at Overwatch, I shut myself off from the others. They didn't exactly like me, for obvious reasons. But Hana and Lucio helped me, and I slowly got back on my feet. They made me feel at home, and I eventually opened up to them. Today, Doctor Ziegler herself seemed friendlier as she was helping me." Reaper chuckled humorlessly. "And you know that I would do anything to help my family, right, Shimada?"

Hanzo nodded. "My name is Hanzo. Call me by my family's name again and I might have to kill you." Reaper laughed in response. 

* * *

 

Hanzo left the holding cells and walked back to his room. He had talked with the wraith and got to know him a little bit better. He apparently used to be a part of Blackwatch, a separate division of Overwatch that covered the more dangerous and gritty missions. His name still remained a mystery to Hanzo, but he knew that eventually, he would be able to find out what it was. He stepped in front of his door and found that it was unlocked. He paused.

Hanzo tried to reason with himself, and tried to convince himself that it was Hana or Lucio pulling another prank on him (although they had stopped after the Toothpaste Incident That Shall Never Be Mentioned Ever Again, which had gone too far), but there was a doubtful presence in the back of his mind. He pulled out a pocket knife from his pants pocket and pushed the door open, brandishing the knife in front of him...

and saw a startled Genji sitting on the bed, holding a picture frame in his hands.

Neither person said a word. After all, it had been quite some time since the two exchanged words that didn't deal with a mission. "Hi Hanzo. I was just.. looking for you." Hanzo rolled his eyes. "Sure. Looking for me in my locked room. Which nobody answered when you knocked." Genji scratched the back of his neck nervously. He then sighed and looked at the ground. "I'm sorry. I really am," he whispered. Hanzo shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You have every right to be angry with me."

"No, stop it, okay? Just listen to me. I had no right to say those things. When we were younger, I had always thought that you had just changed one day, and became this person that was not my brother. I hated it, and really despised when it when you always told me I had to shape up. I thought that you were just trying to get me to stay with the clan, but I never noticed the bruises on you face, or saw the tired look on your face. I just acted irresponsible, and I never thought about how my actions were affecting you. I am sorry, brother. I wish that I could help lessen your pain somehow, but I just added to the damage." Even though Hanzo could not see his face, he was sure that Genji was crying.

Hanzo said nothing, but walked over to sit down next to his younger brother. He pulled the picture that Genji was holding from his hands and examined it. In the picture, a younger and carefree Hanzo was helping a very small Genji fly a kite. It had reminded him of Genji when he traveled before joining Overwatch. He set it down on the bedsheets. "If you hated me, why did you seek me out?"

"The truth was, I hated you so much. I wanted to see you in a grave, and I went to hunt you down and kill you. But when we fought, remember when you wanted me to kill you? You sounded so broken, it stopped me in my tracks and helped me clear my head. Instead, I took my master's advice. Zenyatta told me countless times to forgive and forget. I wanted to bring you to Overwatch so that we could heal together side-by-side. But instead, you shut yourself out, and my hatred grew again. And I was selfish for thinking like that." Hanzo shook his head. "At first, I thought you stopped talking to me because everyone hated me, and you didn't want to give yourself the trouble of defending someone as useless as me. We are both at fault here. I am sorry for everything I have done as well. I forgive you."

Genji sniffled. "And I forgive you as well. For real. I won't ever leave your side again. I promise." Hanzo nodded. "And I as well." The two sat by each other in silence, relaxing in each other's presence.

* * *

 

The two had conversed some more, Hanzo talking about how he tracked down the remaining Elders and how he was able to shapeshift, while Genji talked about his old Blackwatch days and how he tracked down Hanzo. Eventually, the Genji left with an affectionate embrace, and Hanzo was left in his room to mull over the past few days. It was very strange about how much had changed over a few days. He eventually stood up to take a walk and get his mind off things. As he walked around the Watchpoint, he stared down at his feet (a habit he had picked up quickly when he first arrived here) and walked his route that he always wandered on. He was happy beyond words that Genji had forgiven him, although he was still puzzled about how Genji knew he was at the bar listening in on their conversation.

He was walking by the science labs when his name was called out. He turned around quickly and saw Mei and Winston working in the labs, Mei waving him over. "Hey, Hanzo! Do you want to help us? We're trying to invent a long-ranged function for my ice-blaster!"

He stepped inside. "Why do you need me specifically?" Mei smiled kindly. This was another thing getting him on his nerves. Why was everyone smiling? "Well, as you are a specialist in the bow, we thought that your insight would be great to have when testing it. Do you have any starting pointers?" Winston asked. Hanzo nodded. "When shooting a long-ranged projectile, one must think about..."

* * *

"Oh, shoot! Winston, I don't think that this is working," Mei exclaimed. She was testing her newly constructed weapon, and the intended target had razor-sharp icicles surrounding it. Hanzo merely frowned. "May I?" he asked, gesturing towards the blaster. Mei looked surprised, and she nodded as she handed the weapon to him. He quickly studied it before aiming and shooting it. It had a slight recoil, but otherwise, it worked like a beauty as he first hit the center of the target and hit the next few shots with increased speed. He handed the stunned Mei the blaster back. "It's actually not that bad, despite it having a little recoil. If you want, I can help you with practicing it," he replied. 

"That would be excellent! Thank you! But I have to ask, how did you know how to shoot it?" she asked. "I was introduced to multiple weapons before picking up archery. I learned how to use a gun for a few years," Hanzo replied. What they didn't know, however, was that the only reason he used a bow was because it was one of the few weapons that the Elders hadn't told him to use. He learned how to use it after he escaped their grasp, and sought his revenge once he was ready. "Thank you for your time, Agent Shimada," Winston replied. Hanzo stiffly nodded, and left, saying, "Please call me Hanzo!"

He left the lab, surprised that the entire thing had only taken an hour. Apparently, the two scientists had already been almost done with making it when Hanzo came in. He continued walking into the cafeteria, trying to relax, when he heard his name again. "Hanzo! Come join us!" Hana waved him over to her table, where Lena, Reinhardt, Ana, and Zarya sat while Lucio stood at the head of it. Jack was also sitting there, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Hanzo cautiously walked over and sat down, trying to make himself comfortable in the new environment. "Yes? What is it?" Lucio held up a portable speaker. "We're playing 'Guess the Song'! Basically, I shuffle all the songs on my phone, and you all try to guess what song is playing. Wanna play?" Hanzo shuffled in his seat. Wasn't he supposed to be relaxing? "Please, Hanzo?" Hana looked up at him with big puppy eyes.

He sighed in response. "Fine." Ana, Reinhardt, and Lena all smiled in his direction. Again with the smiles! What was wrong with everyone today? He shifted in his seat uncomfortable. Lucio thankfully played the first song, and everyone listened intently. "OOHH! I know this one! This is  _It's_ _Time_ by Imagine Dragons! Boom!" Hana grinned. Lucio lifted his phone. "Yup! Next one."

The songs continued, Ana and Hana answering most of them, with even 76 getting a few. Eventually, there was one song that Hanzo instantly recognized. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day," he stated. Hana turned to look at him. "Wow, sounds dark," she said. Hanzo nodded. "It kind of is. It's got a catchy beat, though, and you can't help but be pulled in by the lyrics. Green Day and Papa Roach are actually some of my favorite bands," he admitted. Hana nodded. "Cool! I didn't know that you were into rock music." They continued to play the game, Hanzo finding himself enjoying the game.

* * *

 

When the sun disappeared from view, Hanzo crept out of his room silently, tiptoeing down the hallways and walking outside. When he first came to Overwatch, the aircraft that had flown him there had passed over a river with what looked like a cavern. When Hanzo asked Winston, who was escorting him at the time, about it, he said that it was a simple cave that was blocked off by a solid wall of rock. Later, when Hanzo investigated it, the cave had just the right amount of room and was a peaceful place where he could listen to the sounds of the river flowing downstream. He moved a few items there, and it became a place where he could rest in peace. He was making his way there right now. He couldn't sleep, and decided to go there.

When he reached the bank of the river, Hanzo walked along the edge of it until he reached the distant dock. There were rowboats there that the other agents would use when they had a free day and would row down the stream. He untied one of the boats and began to paddle his way towards the cave. He loved to listen to the hypnotizing lapping of the water hitting the bottom of the boat, as he relaxed, arms working in a rhythmic motion. Eventually, he reached the shore where he dragged the rowboat further up onto the land. Making sure that it wouldn't be carried away by the water, he faced the rock cliff and grabbed the climbing rope he tied many months ago. He climbed up, and when he finally reached the mouth of the cavern, he swung inside.

In a corner was a single person couch, with a candle stand sitting on a small table next to it. In the bag he had brought with him, he carried extra candles, where he stored in a crevice in the cave walls. It was covered by another picture of him and Genji. They stood next to each other, goofy grins on their faces and their arms linked around each other. He smiled fondly at the memories, and turned to light the candle with the matches he had also brought with him. In another corner was a bookshelf that he had carried over, each piece brought individually and assembled after he had bought it. On the shelves were books that he collected during his travels in multiple languages that he was able to understand. He was about to reach for one when a voice behind him made him freeze.

"Mighty fine place ya got here, pardner."

He quickly turned around, seeing Jesse standing at the entrance of the cave. His heartbeat quickened, not because he was afraid. "How.. how did you get here? How did you find this place?" Jesse lifted his hands in the air. "If ya want me to leave, I can..." Hanzo shook his head. "No! You can stay. I just was curious as to how you found this place." Jesse nodded and lowered his hands. "Actually, I had no idea that this place existed. I just followed you when you left your room. I couldn't sleep either." Hanzo shook his head. "I didn't see you behind me in a rowboat." Jesse shrugged. "I stayed behind and watched where you were going. When you weren't looking behind you, I followed you."

Hanzo laughed in disbelief and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe I let one of the loudest members of Overwatch get the jump on me," he chuckled. Jesse raised one of his eyebrows. "What do ya mean by that?" Hanzo shook his head. "Have you heard the sound your spurs make? It's absolutely ridiculous!" Both men awkwardly chuckled. Eventually, Hanzo stood up straighter. "Can I trust you to not tell anyone about this place?" Jesse nodded. "Ya have my word."

"Then you can stay here if you want," Hanzo replied. The two sat on the edge of the cave, staring at the stars. "Today is actually the weirdest day of my life," Hanzo admitted. "Everyone is actually being nice for the first time since I came here. I was able to talk and connect with Genji, and I literally talked to everyone on the base. But the one thing that was bothering me was that everyone was smiling. Even you! I don't understand why." Jesse looked at Hanzo incredulously. "Lucio literally forced everyone to watch his and Hana's livestream! We saw everythin. At first, I thought that you were fakin it, but your surprise tells me otherwise." Hanzo's jaw was slack and open. "I'm going to kill those two when they wake up tomorrow. I only agreed because no one on the point watches their streams, so I thought that it was safe from you. That's why everyone was nice?!" He shook his head, and then laughed. "Figures. Those two are quite the duo." The two laughed again. 

Hanzo was enamored by the man sitting next to him. His smile, his laugh; everything was so perfect about him. He felt like he could get lost in Jesse's eyes if he stared at them for a little longer. He quickly looked in the other direction before Jesse could notice that Hanzo was staring at him. He was sure that he was blushing. Jesse stopped laughing too. "Who broke your heart?" he asked. 

Hanzo panicked. He knew that he had Hanahaki, so how was he supposed to not tell him? "I can't tell you," he said lamely. "They're on the team." Jesse raised an eyebrow. "That's all you're going to give me?" Hanzo looked down at the river, trying to avoid the other man's gaze. "Well, I've got a proposal for ya, pardner. How about we meet each other here every night, and you give me a hint every night while I spend the next day trying to figure this out, alright?" Hanzo almost died when Jesse said "proposal", but he quickly recovered. "S-sure," he stuttered. He mentally slapped himself. "Great," he thought, "Now he's going to find out." But Jesse's resulting smile melted his heart. "Alright! I'll see ya tomorrow!"  


* * *

 

When Hanzo reached his room, the sun was beginning to rise. He felt an urge to cough, and he did, but the amount of blood had distinguished significantly, and there was only one flower petal. He shook his head as he cleaned it up and relaxed on his bed. So now, the entire team knew about his past, knew he had Hanahaki, and as a result, felt guilty and were acting nice to him. And to add to this, he had daily meetings with McCree at the cave. He would be able to talk with the man he loved, and even if he would be rejected in the end, at least he had a chance to try and win the man's heart.

He REALLY owed Hana and Lucio. 


	6. Confrontations and Midnight Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo hates the way his teammates are treating him. Their struggle to plaster smiles on their faces is thick in the air, and it's suffocating him. As hard as it is, he would rather have them angry at him than experiencing this every day.
> 
> At least he knows that he can talk with Jesse later.

After eventually getting off his bed, Hanzo grabbed his bow and arrows and headed towards the practice range. He was still confused about what had happened yesterday. Everyone had treated him so differently, it was kind of overwhelming. He sighed as he stretched his arms, trying to loosen himself. Hanzo grabbed the end of an arrow and aimed it. He fired it at the target, the arrow finding its mark at the bullseye. He still pondered over things as he practiced. Were they being nice because they actually liked him now? It seemed very unlikely. He frowned before loosing another arrow, another thought coming to his mind. This time, the arrow landed outside the target area. There was no way he would be able to practice efficiently now. He needed answers. Hanzo quickly cleaned up his things and left the training area in a hurry. 

He eventually found himself in the holding cells, facing Reaper. The man was reading a book that Hanzo gave to him through the slot where food trays were passed through. He looked up in surprise. "You're back. Got another personal question for me?" Reaper placed the book on the bed, marking the spot where he had stopped. "Yesterday, I woke up in the medbay where I had been treated of my wounds. I was greeted by Doctor Ziegler, and she was nice and friendly towards me. I told you this before. But afterwards, when I left after talking with you, everyone else was also being nice towards me. For some reason, this stuck in the back of my mind, and I don't know why. I need to ask you something," Hanzo explained. "Are you being friendly towards me because you feel sorry for me?"

"Of course not!" Reaper snapped. "Don't be stupid, kid. You placed me in this cell. When we talked before, I told you that I saw my anger in Joanna. But I can see another bit of myself in you. You push people away when you're afraid that they'll hurt you. I don't want to hurt you." Hanzo nodded. He knew he made the right choice coming here. "Now, I need you to tell me the truth, Reaper. I need you to, because this is why I can't relax right now. Are they acting friendly towards me because they feel sorry for me?" 

There was an uncomfortable silence. Reaper shifted in his seat. "Look, kid. I don't want to hurt you, you know? But the thing is, I'm pretty sure that they're only doing this to make you feel better. Nobody changes that quickly." Hanzo felt his stomach drop. "Thanks. I'm sorry for troubling you." He turned to leave the room, but his body was seized by a series of spasms. He started to hack and cough harder than he ever had before. Hanzo felt like his throat was on fire and someone had made a series of cuts down his neck. He fell on his hands and knees, and continued to cough. "What's wrong, Shimada?" Reaper's concerned voice called out frantically. When Hanzo started to cough out blood, Reaper threw his side table at the window. After many more swings, he broke the panel. He rushed to his side, cradling the injured man's head. Hanzo had stopped coughing, but his breathing seemed extremely labored, and Reaper calmed him. "Don't worry, kid. Help's coming."

Hanzo looked up blearily. "They won't like you for breaking the window. They'll be mad," he struggled to say, voice nothing but a whisper. Reaper snorted in derision. "Whatever. Nothing is worth as much as your life, okay? They can shout at me all they want. You just stay awake, alright?" Hanzo tried to protest, but he felt so tired. His eyes started to close, just as the door opened. " _Mijo!_ Stay awake, goddanmit!" Hanzo felt the footsteps of the people rushing in before he finally lost unconsciousness. "What the fuck did you do, Gabriel?"

* * *

"Shimada. Get up. I know you're awake."

Hanzo struggled to get up, succeeding in his fourth attempt as he opened his eyes. He tried to blink out the flooding light, and winced at the harsh rays of brightness. Angela stood nearby, with Soldier 76 keeping an eye on Reaper, who was sitting on one side of Hanzo's bedside. On the other side, McCree sat looking at Hanzo with a concerned expression. Genji was standing in a corner of the room, arms crossed in a stressed position. Meanwhile, Hana and Lucio could be heard outside, arguing with someone else trying to get in. "What happened?" 

"You almost died, kid. What the hell was that?" Angela cleared her throat. "Agent Shimada has a severe case of Hanahaki. Some events can trigger the disease to act up and result in bloody coughing with flower petals. These events can be something like a sense of loneliness, anxiety, or someone loved doing something that may affect his happiness." Reaper snarled. "Well then, that's why." He stood up and faced the other people in the room, Jack moving forward. "Gabriel, stop." He shook Jack off and continued to speak anyways. "You all put on masks that make it look like you are finally accepting Hanzo into your little team, but I know better. He did, too. That's why he came to me, asking for my opinion. You can't just suddenly change and make him feel like he belongs here, now. If you still hate him, then just do that. Don't lie to him now. Kid's been lied to his entire life."

There was a brief period of silence. Hanzo stared at his hands on his lap, conflicted. Genji walked forwards, and held his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Hanzo. I swear on my  _life_ that when I forgave you yesterday, I meant it a hundred percent. I promised, remember? I'm sorry that you thought that I lied to you again." Hanzo finally looked up and nodded his head slowly. "And I still believe you," he said, "But I don't think anyone else is actually being honest, and I'm tired of it all. If you hate me, then just act like it. I hate the fake smiles. I hate the pity. I hate all of it. I just want it to stop."

Angela stepped forward cautiously. "Hanzo, we don't hate you. It's just that we are all trying to let you into our family. When I saw the livestream that day, I hated myself for what I did, and I'm sure everyone else did as well. We just don't know what to do to be friendly towards you. If we are making you uncomfortable, we can apologize and leave you alone, if you want." Hanzo shook his head. There were so many things going on right now. As if fate wanted to trouble him more, Hana and Lucio burst through the doors. "What's going on?" Lucio asked. 

"Your team is pretending to be nice to Hanzo," Reaper growled. Hana gasped in surprise and shock. "Oh, Hanzo. I realize that you thought we were doing that! After you saved us from Talon, we were approached by the entire team. They wanted to know how they could make you feel welcome here. I guess that they felt uncomfortable, they didn't realize that they were also making you uncomfortable as well. I'm so sorry." Hana now had tears in her eyes that she tried to blink back. Hanzo sighed. "It's not entirely their fault, you know. I just keep trying to push myself away, and make it hard for others to approach me." 

"If you want to be left alone, man, we can leave you alone," Lucio said. "But we'd really like it if you could try to socialize with the rest of the team. It's what you want, though. Nobody's forcing you into anything." Hanzo already knew what he wanted.

"I want to start over again. I will try to open up on a few conditions, however," he said. Hanzo turned to Jack. "I want the Talon operatives freed. Doctor Ziegler will try to help Reaper, and maybe in the process, help Amelie with her condition as well." Jack shook his head. "Do you even know who he is? That is Gabriel Reyes, former commander of Overwatch. He's one of the top suspects for the bombing of Overwatch HQ." Hanzo tilted his head. "Weren't you one, too?" Jack sighed. "It's too dangerous. Moira and Sombra are wild cards. There's no knowing what they'll do." Hanzo frowned in disagreement. "They'll follow Reaper or they'll leave and we can take them down when they eventually do something. They are a family in the same way we are one. If I'm going to accept being in yours, I want theirs freed." Jesse turned to Jack. "Just do it. They're taking up extra space, and it's only a matter of time before they do something to the base." 

Jack sighed. "I'm making a huge mistake," he sighed.

* * *

 

"So does this mean that we're joining Overwatch, now? I like this much better than Talon. They're so strict and boring," Sombra said. Reaper sighed. He spent enough time with the hacker to not be annoyed by her little quips. "I am joining Overwatch. You are all welcome to join me if you want." Akande walked forward. "We are all a team. Where one person goes, the others will follow." Everyone else nodded their agreement. Gabriel turned to Jack. "Alright. Every one of you will have a tracker that will be surgically placed. You will be registered as an official member of Overwatch. If you desert or betray us, we will find you and take you out. Does everyone understand?"

* * *

 

Hanzo climbed the rope, finding the familiar footholds on the rock's surface as he pulled himself up. When he pushed himself onto the floor of the cave, he was surprised to see Jesse already there. He was looking around the space, looking at the many books and pictures that were on the bookshelf. "Do you see anything interesting?" Hanzo called out. Jesse jumped and turned around, slumping in relief when he saw Hanzo. "Jesus, Hanzo! A little warning, next time?" Hanzo smirked. "What would be the fun in doing that?" Jesse shook his head mockingly. "You are going to be the death of me, pardner." Hanzo smiled softly.  _You already are._

"So, remember our little arrangement yesterday? Ya promised me a clue," Jesse said, throwing Hanzo out of his thoughts. He blinked, trying to think of something that wouldn't be too revealing. "Well, I've already said that the person is on the Watchpoint. So, my second hint is that the person is close to my brother." Jesse blinked. "Well, that doesn't help at all!" The two chuckled. Genji was popular with most of the people on the Watchpoint. "Well, is it alright if I discuss my thoughts with ya? I wanna make sure that I'm correct." Hanzo nodded in response. 

Jesse took out a notepad and wrote down the names of the people at the Watchpoint. He looked up at Hanzo. "Can I be certain that you don't have a monkey fetish?" Hanzo snorted. "I sure hope not." Jesse grinned in response, and continued to write. Eventually, the list looked like this:

**Lena, Mei, Jack, Gabriel, Amelie, Reinhardt, Ana, Hana, Lucio, Akande, Angela, Zarya, Moira, Sombra**

Hanzo noticed that Jesse had forgotten his own name, and internally sighed in relief. Jesse held the end of the pencil on his bottom lip while he thought, distracting Hanzo. He did not hear Jesse speaking, and when Jesse looked at his, he snapped out of his trance. "Sorry. What did you say?" 

"Well, I decided to cross out Amelie, Akande, Moira, and Sombra, for obvious reasons. Then, I guess I could also remove Zarya, because they aren't close at all. She thinks that Genji can't be trusted. That leaves... them. Am I correct?"

**Lena, Mei, Jack, Gabriel, Reinhardt, Ana, Hana, Lucio, Angela**

Hanzo nodded. "You are correct so far." Jesse smiled and put the notepad into his pocket. "Thanks. Do ya wanna watch the stars with me?" He offered his hand to Hanzo. Hanzo was glad that the cave was still relatively dark, concealing the dark red blush on his cheeks. He nodded, and took Jesse's hand. It was rough and coarse, but it didn't matter to Hanzo. In fact, he admired the fact that this was the result of hard work in battle.

The two sat on the edge again, gazing at the sky. Jesse took Hanzo's hand, and linked his fingers with his. In response to this, Hanzo lay his head on Jesse's shoulder. He was sure that his face was redder than a tomato at this point, but he didn't care. The only thing that mattered right now was this moment with the man he loved, looking at the beautiful night sky. He only wished that he could tell Jesse that he loved him. But he knew that he would only laugh, thinking it was a joke. Or maybe he would completely reject him. So, instead, he relaxed, his head still resting on the other man's shoulder, pondering over what could happen. However, with the position of his head, he didn't see something crucial. Perhaps, then he would have the courage to confess what he had been thinking of after seeing it. But if he had turned to look at the other's man...

he would have seen Jesse's equally red face.


	7. A New Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the title says. Literally.

Jesse McCree was in love.

When he first met the man, he thought that he had him down to every last detail. He thought that Hanzo Shimada was nothing more than a bloodthirsty killer who had no remorse for killing his brother. He especially didn't like the way that the man would sneak a glance at him every now and then. It had suggested that Hanzo was trying to think of a way to kill him (at least, that's what Jesse thought). Jesse knew he hated the man. And yet, why did he keep coming up in his thoughts at the most inopportune times? He later found that he couldn't stop thinking about him. Hanzo Shimada. He tried telling himself that he hated his perfectly sculpted face, his amazing abilities. Jesse immediately tried to dismiss it. It would eventually leave, right? And yet, it still clung to him like a disease. It made no sense to him. He had Joanna with him; shouldn't he be thinking of her instead? 

He tried to push Hanzo out of his head by proposing to Jo. Maybe now, he would be more focused on her presence rather than his. But, he had been proven wrong, just like many times in the past. He found that as time passed, he became more distant to Jo, and couldn't keep Hanzo out of his head. Then, two events happened that changed his life for the better. Hanzo proved to the entire fucking world that he was human, and Jo came out as a traitor. Jesse couldn't think of better circumstances. After Joanna's interrogation, he had wanted to speak with Hanzo alone, but the man was being approached by everyone. Frustrated, Jesse chose to try to talk with him tomorrow, sure that he would be able to succeed the next day. 

But he couldn't sleep. It was now extremely irritating. It wasn't because of possible nightmares of any sort, but rather the impatient feeling that one would get when awaiting Santa's arrival or a birthday. But what Jesse was waiting for was an opportunity to talk with the man he had a crush on. Jesse didn't know why. Maybe he wanted to get to know the other man better, or maybe he just wanted a chance to see him. Finally having enough of everything, Jesse opened his door and was about to walk out, when he saw something, or rather someone, that made his heart jump.

Hanzo Fucking Shimada was turning the corner at the end of the hallway, a book in his hand.

Jesse was now intrigued. Why was the man also awake? And more importantly, where was he going? Jesse knew that Gabriel had once told him that he had an unhealthy habit of jumping into things and only made them worse (whether it was a person or mission; it applied to many things), but he didn't care in this moment. He snuck behind the other man, thinking to himself about how stalkerish this was, and followed him outside. Jesse shivered in the cold; he was only wearing his shirt and sweatpants, but Hanzo seemed free. The wind blew through his hair as he walked along the fine line of the sand and the river, looking at the night sky, dotted with millions of balls of light. Jesse continued to trudge behind him.

Eventually, Hanzo stopped at the small pier that Jesse remembered several other members in Overwatch would go to. They would get on one of the canoes and race each other, or simply dip their feet in the water. However, Hanzo untied one of the boats and placed the book carefully in it, and then got in himself. Jesse immediately dove behind one of the huge rocks on the beach of the river and watched as Hanzo paddled his way to the shore of a distant area where Jesse knew that nobody bothered to go to. He got into another one of the boats and followed the man's trail, wondering what the hell Hanzo was doing. Eventually, when Jesse hit land, he pulled his boat next to Hanzo's empty one, and looked around.

Nobody.

In a panic, Jesse looked around again for any sign of the other man, but there was no sight of Hanzo. There was only a rope that stood vertically, clearly tied to something above. When Jesse eventually saw it, his eyes traveled upward, seeing that the rope was tied to a tree above the rock. He sighed.  _I'm getting to old to do this shit._ He grabbed the rope firmly, and hoisted himself up, pulling himself up carefully. To his surprise, there was a huge hole in the surface of the rock. He pulled himself onto the hole's ledge, and gaped in shock. Apparently, Hanzo had made himself a living space in this crevice in the rock wall. How he had found out this place, Jesse didn't know, but the sight was impressive. It was, in its entirety, a demonstration of Hanzo's willpower to get something done. 

Hanzo was facing the huge bookshelf with millions of books. He put the book he had before back in its original space, and pulled out another one just as Jesse stood up. "Mighty fine place ya got here, pardner."

Hanzo quickly turned around, seeing Jesse standing at the entrance of the cave. Jesse mentally slapped himself for scaring the other man. "How.. how did you get here? How did you find this place?" Jesse lifted his hands in the air. He had scared the other man, and was now feeling guilty. "If ya want me to leave, I can..."  

"No! You can stay. I just was curious as to how you found this place." Jesse was surprised. He thought that Hanzo would surely make him go away. He nodded and lowered his hands. "Actually, I had no idea that this place existed. I just followed you when you left your room. I couldn't sleep either." Hanzo shook his head. He looked suspicious. Jesse felt another pang in his heart. He had been responsible for this distrust. "I didn't see you behind me in a rowboat."

"I stayed behind and watched where you were going. When you weren't looking behind you, I followed you," Jesse explained. Once again, Jesse was surprised as Hanzo laughed in disbelief and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe I let one of the loudest members of Overwatch get the jump on me," he chuckled. Jesse raised one of his eyebrows. He could work with this. He could play along. "What do ya mean by that?"  "Have you heard the sound your spurs make? It's absolutely ridiculous!" Both men awkwardly chuckled. Eventually, Hanzo stood up straighter. He looked nervous. "Can I trust you to not tell anyone about this place?" Jesse nodded. This place must be special to him. "Ya have my word."

"Then you can stay here if you want," Hanzo replied. Jesse was tempted to whoop in victory, but he settled for a silly grin instead. They sat on the edge of the cave, staring at the stars. Jesse marveled at the beauty of the scenery. But he knew that it wasn't as beautiful as the man sitting next to him. Then, Hanzo spoke up, jolting him out of his thoughts. "Today is actually the weirdest day of my life. Everyone is actually being nice for the first time since I came here. I was able to talk and connect with Genji, and I literally talked to everyone on the base. But the one thing that was bothering me was that everyone was smiling. Even you! I don't understand why."

Jesse looked at Hanzo incredulously. Did he not know? Maybe Hana and Lucio hadn't told him. "Lucio literally forced everyone to watch his and Hana's livestream! We saw everythin. At first, I thought that you were fakin it, but your surprise tells me otherwise." Hanzo's jaw went slack, proving Jesse's inference. "I'm going to kill those two when they wake up tomorrow. I only agreed because no one on the point watches their streams, so I thought that it was safe from you. That's why everyone was nice?!" He shook his head, and then laughed. "Figures. Those two are quite the duo." The two laughed again. 

Talking about the livestream reminded Jesse of Hanzo's Hanahaki. It made him upset that someone was so cruel as to hurt this man. Jesse stopped laughing. A thought came to his mind. He knew that Hanzo wouldn't outright tell him who it was, but maybe he could coax it out from him. "Who broke your heart?"  

Hanzo panicked. Jesse wanted to slap himself again. His question was too demanding. He would have to work on that. "I can't tell you. They're on the team," Hanzo offered. Jesse raised an eyebrow. "That's all you're going to give me?" Hanzo looked down at the river; Jesse knew he was making him uncomfortable. But he needed to know. "Well, I've got a proposal for ya, pardner. How about we meet each other here every night, and you give me a hint every night while I spend the next day trying to figure this out, alright?"  "S-sure," Hanzo said. Jesse smiled. He would figure out the culprit sooner or later. "Alright! See ya tomorrow!" 

* * *

 

Jesse eventually left with Hanzo, and the two parted with a goodbye (although they would see each other again). Jesse entered his room and cheered in victory, fist pumping in the air. He was thankful that the walls were soundproof, otherwise he would have woken up the entire Watchpoint. He fell on his bed, a goofy smile on his face.

He was definitely in love with Hanzo Shimada.

* * *

The next day, Jesse got up late again. He whistled as he walked towards the cafeteria, Genji joining him when he saw him. "What's got you in a good mood today?" Jesse shrugged. "Ya know, stuff." Genji nodded slowly. "Uh-huh. Sure, cowboy." When they had just stepped in the mess hall, however, red lights flashed, flooding the entire room and making everything red. "Prisoner escape. Prisoner escape." Athena's monotone voice rang throughout the base. Jesse pulled his revolver out of its holster, and he and Genji ran towards the prisoner bay, where he was greeted by a horrific sight.

Hanzo was lying in a puddle of blood, some blood trickling down his mouth. Jack was shouting something at Gabriel, or Reaper, but Jesse didn't care at all. His eyes were trained on the unconscious man. And in that single instant, Jesse experienced a extremely rare moment. 

He was afraid.

* * *

 

Hanzo was rushed to the medbay, Reaper insisting to stay by his side, much to the annoyance of Jesse. He couldn't trust the man anymore, but as he looked at Hanzo, he remembered how poorly he had treated him, so he turned to Gabriel. "Why are you so scared for him?" Reaper spun around. "Listen,  _put_ _o_ , this man has experienced enough, so lay off him every once in a while, okay?" Jesse shook his head. "Listen, I talked with him last night, alright?" He looked around the room, and leaned closer to his former mentor. "I think that I love him. Like for real. Not like one of those other girls." Reaper shook his head. "You better mean it. I'll kill you if you break him later." He leaned back in his chair. "After Joanna's interrogation yesterday, he came to me, and opened himself up to me. We had a conversation, and he got me to open up." Gabriel sighed. "Look, alright? I see too much of myself in him. I want to try to help him, but I won't be able to. Not fully. So you have to help him, alright?"

Jesse nodded. He was pretty surprised that Hanzo was able to made friends with Gabe, but that was none of his business. He swore he would never hurt him again.

* * *

That night, Jesse made sure that he would be the first one to arrive at the cave. He left the Watchpoint after he told everyone that he wanted to sleep early, and instead went straight to the dock. When he got there, he looked around the space, looking at the many books and pictures that were on the bookshelf. One picture caught his eye. A younger Hanzo and little Genji were standing next to each other, with their arms hanging on each other. Jesse wondered how long Hanzo had been carrying it. "Do you see anything interesting?"

Jesse jumped and turned around, slumping in relief when he saw Hanzo. "Jesus, Hanzo! A little warning, next time?" Hanzo visibly smirked. "What would be the fun in doing that?" Jesse shook his head mockingly. He was happy that Hanzo was being himself. "You are going to be the death of me, pardner." Hanzo smiled softly, for some reason that Jesse couldn't put his finger on. 

"So, remember our little arrangement yesterday? Ya promised me a clue," Jesse said, throwing Hanzo out of his thoughts. Hanzo blinked. "Well, I've already said that the person is on the Watchpoint. So, my second hint is that the person is close to my brother." Jesse blinked. "Well, that doesn't help at all!" The two chuckled. Genji was popular with most of the people on the Watchpoint. Jesse grinned. Now, it was time for step two. "Well, is it alright if I discuss my thoughts with ya? I wanna make sure that I'm correct." Hanzo nodded. 

Jesse took out a notepad and wrote down the names of the people at the Watchpoint. He looked up at Hanzo. "Can I be certain that you don't have a monkey fetish?" Hanzo snorted. "I sure hope not." Jesse grinned. Hanzo had a deadpan humor that always got him to laugh. He continued to write on the notepad. 

Jesse held the end of the pencil on his bottom lip while he thought, frowning. Jesse felt like he was missing something, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Jesse looked at Hanzo and spoke, but Hanzo didn't hear him. "Sorry. What did you say?" he asked.

"Well, I decided to cross out Amelie, Akande, Moira, and Sombra, for obvious reasons. Then, I guess I could also remove Zarya, because they aren't close at all. She thinks that Genji can't be trusted. That leaves... them. Am I correct?"

Hanzo looked at the list and nodded. "You are correct so far." Jesse smiled and put the notepad into his pocket. He still felt like he was missing something, but he dismissed it. "Thanks. Do ya wanna watch the stars with me?" He offered his hand to Hanzo. The other man nodded slowly, and took Jesse's hand. Jesse was sure that his face was turning red as they sat on the edge again, gazing at the sky.

Jesse took Hanzo's hand, and linked his fingers with his. In response to this, Hanzo lay his head on Jesse's shoulder. Jesse's heart jumped to his throat. He tried to steady his heartbeat, certain that Hanzo was able to hear it by now. The man seemed to be in deep thought, while Jesse stared at him. Eventually, he tore his gaze away and looked up to the stars, trying to hide his blushing face. However, with the position of his head, he didn't see something crucial. Perhaps, then he would have the courage to confess what he had been thinking of after seeing it. But if he had turned to look at the other's man...

he would have seen Hanzo's equally red face.


	8. Overwatch and Talon Mashup (Realization)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Talon operatives have officially joined forces with Overwatch. This clearly calls for a celebration... if they can put aside their differences first.
> 
> In addition, Jesse confronts Hanzo about the person that broke his heart. 
> 
> WARNING: HEAVY ANGST

When Hanzo stepped into the cafeteria for breakfast the next morning, he stopped when he noticed something was off. 

There was something. Something that was unsettling in the air that suffocated him as he continued to walk in, nervous. It was tension. And it wasn't hard to see why. The ex-Talon agents were sitting in a corner table while having a stare-off with the Overwatch operatives; mainly those who were in Overwatch before it was taken down. Hanzo shuffled over to where Hana and Lucio were, sitting down next to them. Jesse also sat there, looking conflicted. Mei also was looking back and forth between the two teams, nervous as well. Nobody was eating. Hanzo looked at his friends, Hana rolling her eyes and motioning towards the others, and Lucio shaking his head in disproval. Jesse watched the mounting conflict. Hanzo simply winked slowly, confusing the two, and then cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "You know, I really hate it when you do this. It isn't any different than the treatment I received when I came here."

"This is personal, Hanzo," Gabriel said. He glowered at Jack. Hanzo raised one of his eyebrows. "And do you think that when I was treated like this, it wasn't personal to me, either? I wanted to mend a family bond when I asked for your freedom, not pull it apart. I wanted you to be a part of my family. But like you told me before, you have to try." Sombra snorted, and then looked at her laptop. "Try convincing them." She spat out  _them_ as if she was spitting out poison. Hanzo sighed internally. Time to raise things up a little.

He started to hack and cough, everyone snapping their heads in concern. He fell to the ground, continuing to cough, Jesse and Hana rushing to his side. "Jesus! We'll try to fix this, Hanzo! Just don't die on us," Jack shouted. Hanzo immediately stopped and stood up, facing the shocked people. He glared, trying to get his point across. "You better." He walked out of the area. He could hear Hana laughing along with Lucio in the distance, and he grinned to himself. It may have been too much, but at least they would listen to that.

* * *

 

Hanzo was in the practice range again, firing arrows at multiple targets across while listening to music he played through his earphones. When Jesse barged in through the door, Hanzo put his bow down, confused and a little worried at the other man's sudden and quick movements. Jesse had a dark look on his face, and it scared Hanzo. He took out his earphones. "Jesse, what's-"

Hanzo was shocked when Jesse grabbed his shirt with both hands and slammed him against the wall behind him. "Athena, lock the training area doors," he growled. They locked with an audible click as Jesse faced Hanzo. "What the fuck, Hanzo! You can't just use this illness as an excuse to do something every now and then! Fuck, Hanzo. I thought you were going to fucking die! I was scared, okay? I thought that the disease had finally caught up to you." Hanzo was touched that Jesse actually cared about him. But, on the other hand, he had to deal with trying to calm him down. "Jesse, look. You saw how everyone was acting. I tried to tell them to stop, but they wouldn't listen. You and I know that they wouldn't listen to anything else. I chose to do this. I have accepted this illness as a part of me. It's going to kill me one day, and I know this. But we all die one day."

Jesse shook his head. "It's not too late, Hanzo. You can still fix this. You just have to tell me who it is, Hanzo. Who is killing you?" Hanzo shook his head, tears filling up his eyes. "I can't, Jesse. You don't understand. I can't tell who it is, because he'll end up rejecting me anyways. He doesn't love me. He's only a friend." Jesse was about to say something, but stopped, thought forming in his head. He let go of a confused Hanzo and pulled out the notepad. "You said 'he'. I'm figuring this out for myself." Hanzo panicked. "Jesse, no. Please don't." He ignored Hanzo, and crossed off names. "I have Jack, Gabriel, Reinhardt, and Lucio, left on the list. But none of these names fit. Three of them are too old, and Lucio is a teenager and your friend. What am I missing, Hanzo?" Jesse looked so hopeless that Hanzo was tempted to tell him. But he didn't. Now that Jesse wasn't holding him, Hanzo stepped away slowly. 

"I can't, Jesse. You need to stay away from me. Forget about me. I'm dying soon, and you'll be hurt. I'm sorry." He ordered Athena to open the doors again, despite Jesse's protests, and ran out, grabbing his stuff on the way. When Hanzo entered his room, he collapsed on his bed and started to cry.

Meanwhile, back in the training room, Jesse crumbled onto the floor, crying in despair. 

* * *

 

There were posters all over the Watchpoint put up by none other than everyone's favorite Hana Song that same day, outlining the details of a party in the recreation room. It was supposed to be a chance for everyone to let go of their hate towards one another and to try to make friends. She may have thought that it was a good idea, but Hanzo knew that the only certain outcome would be absolute havoc.

* * *

 

"Hello, everyone! Glad you could all make it." Hana stood in front of everyone, frowning at the mutters of disproval ringing out through the room. She shook her head and smiled again. "Tonight, we will be playing a few games. We can start with Truth or Dare! So, everyone, get into a circle." Once everyone followed the directions, Hana grinned. Step one, completed. "Okay, I'll start. An Overwatch agent must ask a Talon agent, and vise versa. If you refuse to answer a question or do a dare, you lose and are disqualified from the game. Whoever wins will get a point. Whoever has the most points at the end of the night will win a prize. Alright? Amelie! Truth or Dare?" 

"Truth," she replied. "When Talon brainwashed you, what were your last thoughts? Do you remember?" Hana asked. Amelie frowned. "I... it's quite distant. I think that there was someone named Gerard. I was experiencing sadness. I was afraid. I needed to see someone, I think." She looked down at her hands. Hana nodded softly. "You can ask someone, Amelie." She looked up. "Genji, Truth or Dare?" He thought for a minute, before replying truth. "Is it true that you were a playboy when you were younger?" He choked. "Umm, well... yes," he finished lamely. Hanzo snorted. "The fact that he doesn't have any STDs is astounding." A few people smirked at this. Hanzo tried to ignore Jesse's piercing gaze, trying to get his attentions. Genji crossed his arms. "Who's side are you on? If I could call on anyone right now, I would ask you a question and get you to admit something embarrassing." He shook his head. "Gabriel, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Reyes said. Although no one saw Genji's face, you could see the smirk. "I dare you to admit that salt is a spice." Gabriel growled in frustration. Apparently, this was a running debate that had lived long ago. "For the last time, SALT IS NOT A SPICE! It comes from the stupid sea. Spices come from plants, idiots!" Genji nodded. "I know, but you still have to say it." People started to giggle. Gabriel snarled. "Salt is a spice," he muttered. Genji held a hand behind his ear. "What was that? I couldn't hear you!"  "SALT IS A SPICE, YOU UNGRATEFUL INTEGRATE!" 

Gabriel huffed in irritation. "McCree, Truth or Dare?" Jesse looked away from Hanzo and also took his time, finally replying with a truth. "Is it true that you still have the cowboy hat undies that Ana gave to you that one Christmas as a joke?" Jesse sputtered as everyone laughed. Hana smiled. This was working! "I mean, yeah, but for memories!" Gabriel nodded. "Uh-huh. Whatever makes you able to sleep at night,  _mijo_ ," he said. Jesse's face was red with embarrassment as he turned away. The game continued as Moira was asked if she had tested on bunnies before in her Overwatch days, to which she replied with an 'absolutely not', and Tracer was dared to wear McCree's said underwear over her head and imitate him, which drew a lot of laughs.

Eventually, Sombra was tasked with asking a question, and she turned to Hanzo. "Who is the person that you eventually got Hanahaki from?" Hanzo looked at his hands and finally said, "I can't answer that. I'm sorry." Other people looked at him in sympathy, much to Hanzo's annoyance, and he stood up. Just like that, he was out of the game. He decided to leave the room for some air, and he went into the balcony and closed the glass doors behind him, drawing the outside curtains shut.

* * *

 

Eventually, Jesse was forced out of the game when he was asked whether he had a fan-poster of Ana in his old Overwatch days, but he was not one of the earlier ones to get kicked out of the game. He excused himself to the bathroom, where he sighed in frustration as he splashed water on his face. Hanzo had almost told everyone who was the reason to blame for his Hanahaki, but still had not said anything. He was just so stubborn. Jesse still remembered how afraid Hanzo was in the practice range when Jesse had confronted him, and he sighed. He definitely had pushed Hanzo there, but his talking about him dying was just too much for Jesse to handle. 

He looked at the mirror at his own face, glaring at it. He wanted to punch the mirror, but when he was drawing his arm back, he paused, a dawning sense of horror overcoming his senses. Had it been that reason why nothing was adding up? He pulled the notepad out of his jeans, flipping frantically to the page with the names written down in Jesse's scrawny handwriting. He read the clues again, and making sure that it fit the description, he wrote one more name down. He threw the notepad in the garbage and rushed out of the bathroom, going to the balcony where Hanzo was. 

Jesse knew who it was.

* * *

 

When Hanzo stepped outside, he sighed as he looked up at the black sky. Usually, he'd have Jesse by his side to provide the comfort he desperately needed, but he had forcefully cut all ties with the cowboy, and now he was here, looking at the stars alone. But he was always alone. He was alone his entire life, so why did it hurt so much? Why did it hurt so much to be alone NOW, of all times? He shivered. It was extremely cold outside without the sun's warming rays of light. Why did Jesse have to be his light?

Hanzo flinched at the feeling of something wrapping around his shoulders. He looked at his side and saw him again. Jesse. Why did he have to pop in at the times where Hanzo did not want to see him? The cowboy had placed his red serape over Hanzo's shoulders. He hated the warmth that it provided. Now, he wouldn't be able to give it back. Hanzo turned away. "I thought I told you to leave me alone." 

"Actually, ya told me to forget about you. And, since I can't, I came here. You looked cold there, pardner. Thought I'd help ya out." Hanzo shook his head, trying to suppress the breaking smile that was starting to form on his lips. "What do you want, McCree?" He looked up at the stars where Hanzo was also looking at. "I want many things, Hanzo. But in this moment, right now, I want the truth, and then if I'm correct, something that I've been afraid to do my entire life." Hanzo turned to him. If he was afraid to do something, he would help Jesse. At least he would overcome his fear of doing something. "Go on."

Jesse closed his eyes. "Hanzo, the person that hurt you. The person who you've had a crush on ever since you came here, was an Overwatch agent, and was friends with Genji. Hanzo, is it..." he let out a shuddering breath. "You said that you were afraid of his rejection. Is it me?" Hanzo let out a shaky breath as well. "Jesse, I..." Jesse opened his eyes and turned to look at him. His eyes were full of hate. Whether towards himself or at Hanzo, he couldn't tell. "Just answer me, Hanzo! Please," he whispered. Hanzo held his head in his hands. "It was you, Jesse. It's always been you. When I first saw you, I was in love. I couldn't stop thinking of you, and I kept staring at you, wondering if I would ever talk to you. When we talked at that cave, I was so happy. Happier than finding out that I was going to have a brother." 

Hanzo looked up at McCree's shocked face. "I'm sorry for pushing all of this on you. I promise that this will never come up again or interfere with our friendship, Jesse. Goodnight." Hanzo opened the doors and ran past the confused people in the room, leaving a stunned and saddened Jesse on the balcony. Recovering quickly, Jesse took after Hanzo. He would never hurt him. He swore this, but now he wasn't sure if he would be able to uphold his promise. He could only hope that he wasn't too late.

* * *

 

Hanzo slammed the doors of the Watchpoint open, running to the boats, furiously rubbing the tears off of his face. The sky was now dark, black clouds covering the sky. He wasn't thinking straight, and did not know why he was going back to the cave, where Jesse knew the location of, but it was the one place where Hanzo felt the most comfortable. He jumped into one of the canoes and paddled towards the other shore. At that moment, Jesse rushed onto the shore as Hanzo was halfway there. Hanzo panicked, and paddled faster, as Jesse also got into another boat and followed Hanzo. Both were evenly matched in strength, and the distance between them remained the same, but Jesse was desperate. He moved his arms faster, trying to reach the man he loved, and now knew loved him back. If only he had told him earlier, he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Hanzo had reached the shore, and jumped out of the boat, letting it float away. He didn't bother using the rope, and instead scaled the wall just like he did in the battlefield. Once he reached the top, he used his knife to cut the rope, and pulled the remaining excess in with him, making sure that Jesse wouldn't have any access to it. Jesse watched everything in despair. He hit the sand and pulled the boat so that they would have some way of getting back, and looked at the wall. He had no idea how he was going to get up to the cave. To Hanzo. But this was Hanzo up there. He had to do this, or die trying. 

Jesse recovered his breath, and searched for footholds that would be easy to grab. It was raining at this point, but Jesse didn't notice this. He was now thankful for the rock climbing exercises that Gabe forced him to do, and he slowly climbed up. By now, the rain was pouring harder, making the rock surface slippery. "Hanzo! Talk to me!" Jesse called out. There was no response. He huffed for breath and hoisted himself further. He was nearing the top, and could almost reach the top, when his foot slipped. He yelled in surprise, trying to regain his footing, but the extra weight was also affecting his hands gripping on the rock. He was too high to jump down safely. If he fell, there was the possibility of him snapping his neck. 

Jesse struggled to pull himself up, but the effort only rewarded him with losing one hand on its grip. He yelled in shock again, frantic now, trying to stay alive. "Hanzo, help me!" Jesse pleaded. His last hand was already slipping, as he called out to Hanzo. Jesse could only watch as his hand slowly and painfully started to let go. When he did, he prepared to hit the ground, awaiting his death. But it never came. Jesse looked up in surprise, and saw Hanzo's hands gripping onto Jesse's wrist, as he struggled to pull him up. Jesse, now more stable, found a foothold, and with the help of Hanzo, he was pulled up into the cave.

The two collapsed in exhaustion, Hanzo trying to get far away from Jesse and eventually backed up in a corner. Jesse couldn't see anything in the dark, but the lighting gave him enough light to see the other man. "Hanzo?" Jesse called out softly. The other man did not reply. The only sound he made was the heavy breathing of panic. Jesse sighed and sat against the nearest wall, recovering his breath. "Hanzo, I don't hate you. It's actually the opposite, really." Jesse shuffled around, making himself comfortable. "When I met you, I instantly wrote you down as Genji's killer. I didn't know who you were as a person, and I thought you were just another criminal. But over time, I couldn't get you out of my head. I then married Joanna, or Halley. Whatever her name is. I thought that if I married her, I would get you out of my head.

But you were always in the back of my mind. I started to care less about Halley. And then, I saw the livestream, and afterwards, she betrayed us. When it was all over, I wanted to get to know you. I wanted to get to know you, because I realized that I had fallen in love with you, Hanzo. I have been ever since I couldn't stop thinking about you. So, I followed you here that first night, and when you opened up to me, I was so happy. I was also mad that someone had hurt you, and was slowly killing you. I wanted to find out who it was, but I never suspected that it was me." By this point, Hanzo's breathing had slowed, and quieted down. The storm outside had ended, and it was extremely quiet. Jesse continued. He had to let everything out while he had the chance. "I was in the bathroom and looking at my reflection back at the party when I came to the thought; if nobody on the list fit the description, who could it have been? And as I continued to stare at my reflection, I realized that I had removed myself from the equation. When my suspicion was correct, I was shocked and ashamed that I was the one slowly killing you. That I was responsible for your pain."

Jesse was crying now. "Hanzo, I'm so sorry. I know that everyone has been telling you this lately, but there's nothing I can do to express how sorry I am. Hanzo, can you forgive me? I know that I don't have the right to earn your forgiveness, but I want to let you know how sorry I am." He never heard the other man move, and he almost jumped when someone sat next to him. Hanzo stared at the ceiling, tears trickling down his face. "Jesse, I love you too much to hate you. I forgive you. I always will." Jesse, still crying embraced Hanzo and buried his head in the crook of his head. "I'm so sorry. So sorry," he repeated, over and over again, like some broken recorder. Hanzo shuddered from crying. "I know, I know." 

The two remained in that position for a long time until Hanzo broke the hug. The tears on both of their faces had disappeared by then. "Jesse, back there, the only reason why I agreed to your request on the balcony was because you mentioned doing something that you were afraid to do." Jesse racked his brain, trying to remember what he had said, and when he did, a small smile appeared on his face. His face turned red in embarrassment. He turned to Hanzo. "Well, a part of it was confessing that I was in love with you, but there was a second part."

Jesse placed a hand on the side of Hanzo's face as he stared in his eyes. They were so perfect. How had he been so foolish to reject this man in the beginning? "You can push me off if it's too much, alright?" He leaned in, hesitating, wondering if Hanzo would be ready for this. Hanzo blushed in realization, and also leaned in closer, to which Jesse took as permission. He leaned in further, closing the gap, as they met in the middle. It was Hanzo's first kiss, and he knew that he wouldn't have it with any other person, any other way. Meanwhile, Jesse felt a tight pressure in his chest finally loosen, as he kissed the other man. Jesse had kissed many other people in the past, but kissing Hanzo was something else entirely. With Hanzo, he felt complete. He made Jesse never want to leave his side.

When the two eventually separated, Hanzo coughed. Jesse placed a hand on his back in concern, but there was no sign of blood. Instead, a silver petal fell on the floor, and Hanzo stopped coughing. They stared at it for a minute. Hanzo felt immediate relief and happiness. There was no sign of the tightness that had once contracted his chest. Hanzo knew at once that the Hanahaki had finally left his body. Hanzo wanted to cry again, realizing that Jesse had followed him through everything, and in the end, saved him. He looked at the other man's face. Jesse was still looking at the silver petal in wonder, and finally turned back to Hanzo, noticing his smile. Jesse immediately knew that there was nothing more beautiful in this world than Hanzo's smile, other than the man who wore it. Jesse wrapped an arm around Hanzo as he snuggled against Jesse's chest.

The two stayed there, comforting each other, and eventually falling asleep. The silver petal disappeared once the light of the rising sun touched it, marking a new day. 


End file.
